2007 Chateau Lafon Rochet La Chapelle De Lafon Rochet

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Bordeaux 2007

2007 Bordeaux — An Uneven Year Separates the Best from the Rest

The story of the 2007 vintage is that of a miserable summer wedged between a precocious spring and a dry, sunny fall.

After a gentle winter, bud-bread was early, though it was prolonged by a cold snap. April was warm, and with plenty of water, the vines took off. Flowering was split, with the second half affected by variable weather in late May and June, reducing the size of the crop. The same moisture in the soils that contributed to the early growth of the vines now created issues with oidium and mildew, a problem that would cause damage to almost every property. A gloomy, damp July and a rainy August did nothing to help the vines. A few sunny spells intervened, but veraison was irregular owing to the bad weather and the uneven bud break and flowering earlier in the year.

In August, mildew and rot continued to plague the vineyards. Sprays were often washed off by the rain soon after application. Two notably heavy downpours occurred on Monday, August 20th, and Wednesday, the 29th, causing swelling and threatening to split the grapes and bring the whole vintage down with rot. But just as it looked bleakest, high pressure moved in, breezes arrived, and the vineyards dried up. The good weather continued for the rest of the harvest, clearing up rot, and plucking the vintage from jaws of ruin.

The white harvest began in Pessac Leognan in early September and ended around the 25th of September. Fruit was generally healthy and fresh. The red harvest was more spread out. Merlot was mostly picked by October 6th, while Cabernet began around October 8th. The late-fall warmth concentrated the grapes and resulted in some of the longest “hang-times” for any vintage on record.

Even so, it was an uneven year, and one that will separate the best from the rest. The top properties will make some very good wines, mainly for earlier drinking, but those who didn’t put in the hard work in the vineyard and the cellar will struggle. Take note of prices, but look to 2007 for wines to drink while you wait for your 2009s and 2010s to come around.

Key Dates

March

First bud-break, two weeks earlier than average

April

One of warmest in 100 years

April

Bud-break mostly complete

May

Flowering begins mid-May, irregular and spread out

July

Veraison begins, irregular and strung out into August

August

Huge downpours

August

More downpours, nearly the nail in the coffin for this troubled vintage

August

High pressure arrives, begins to immediately dry out the vineyards and lasts almost until the end of the harvest, saving the vintage after the difficult summer

September

Pessac Leognan dry white harvest begins

October

Merlot harvest mainly completed

October

Cabernet harvest begins

About Chateau Lafon Rochet

Château Lafon-Rochet has always been good. However, since being purchased in 1960 by the Tesseron family (the owners of Pontet-Canet in Pauillac), the wine from this Fourth Growth Bordeaux Château has been excellent. Since 1999, Michel Tesserson and his sister, Princess Caroline Poniatowska, have assumed management, and with help from Michel's son, Basile, they have taken Lafon-Rochet in the direction of organic, biodynamic viticulture.

Château Lafon-Rochet's 111 acres of gravelly clay soil in Saint-Estèphe are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. In the cellar, a good percentage of new oak and a healthy addition of Merlot results in a rich, lush, meaty wine that's rarely austere in the early going. The Grand Vin is produced from the oldest vines, which are at least 35 years old. Les Pelerins de Lafon Rochet is the second wine, made from younger vines and intended specifically for early drinking. Production at Lafon-Rochet is approximately 200,000 cases annually.